When we look back to past ages, we tend to think of women tight laced into restrictive prisons of whalebone and steel – but was that really the case? How did corsets come about? Did women always tight lace? Did everyone always wear them? And what were they really for?

Join Assistant Curator of Costume and Textiles Dr Faye Prior for an intimate examination of the corset, from its beginnings in the stiffened bodices of the Tudor period, to the waist-length stays of the eighteenth century, and the explosion of different designs and ideas in the industrial age.

Learn how corsets first came about, why people wore them, and examine some real historical corsets from the collection of York Castle Museum. Part of York Fashion Week 2019.

Join one of our knowledgeable volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday for a free talk from 12pm. The subject will vary but will relate to one of the displays in the museum.

Included in admission, no need to book.

Please note that as these talks are volunteer-led, we cannot guarantee that they will always take place. Please ring ahead on 01904 687687 or check with our Welcome Team on arrival in case of cancellation.

Join one of our knowledgeable volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday for a free talk from 12pm. The subject will vary but will relate to one of the displays in the museum.

Included in admission, no need to book.

Please note that as these talks are volunteer-led, we cannot guarantee that they will always take place. Please ring ahead on 01904 687687 or check with our Welcome Team on arrival in case of cancellation.

Join us to explore the work and influences of Dame Vivienne Westwood, one of Britain’s most eccentric, controversial and consistently original designers. By exploring key themes in her design – the use of bold graphics, the inter-relationship with music, a devotion to history – this talk will chart Westwood’s progress from iconoclastic outsider to an internationally revered figure.

Drawing on iconic Westwood designs seen in the exhibition A Personal Collection of Vivienne Westwood Shoes, find out more about how the designer’s work, from the ‘Seditionaries’ boots worn by The Sex Pistols to the ‘Super Elevated Gillie’ that caused Naomi Campbell to tumble on a Paris catwalk, have established her reputation for leading where others can only follow.

Join one of our knowledgeable volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday for a free talk from 12pm. The subject will vary but will relate to one of the displays in the museum.

Included in admission, no need to book.

Please note that as these talks are volunteer-led, we cannot guarantee that they will always take place. Please ring ahead on 01904 687687 or check with our Welcome Team on arrival in case of cancellation.

Join one of our knowledgeable volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday for a free talk from 12pm. The subject will vary but will relate to one of the displays in the museum.

Included in admission, no need to book.

Please note that as these talks are volunteer-led, we cannot guarantee that they will always take place. Please ring ahead on 01904 687687 or check with our Welcome Team on arrival in case of cancellation.

Join one of our knowledgeable volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday for a free talk from 12pm. The subject will vary but will relate to one of the displays in the museum.

Included in admission, no need to book.

Please note that as these talks are volunteer-led, we cannot guarantee that they will always take place. Please ring ahead on 01904 687687 or check with our Welcome Team on arrival in case of cancellation.

Join one of our knowledgeable volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday for a free talk from 12pm. The subject will vary but will relate to one of the displays in the museum.

Included in admission, no need to book.

Please note that as these talks are volunteer-led, we cannot guarantee that they will always take place. Please ring ahead on 01904 687687 or check with our Welcome Team on arrival in case of cancellation.

Join one of our knowledgeable volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday for a free talk from 12pm. The subject will vary but will relate to one of the displays in the museum.

Included in admission, no need to book.

Please note that as these talks are volunteer-led, we cannot guarantee that they will always take place. Please ring ahead on 01904 687687 or check with our Welcome Team on arrival in case of cancellation.